A sphygmomanometer that sends air from an air supply sphere, i.e., a rubber bulb, to a cuff, via the sphygmomanometer main body, is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication Laid Open 61-79440 and Japanese Patent Publication Laid Open 2004-81743.
FIG. 1 depicts a sphygmomanometer comprising a Korotkov sound sensor as disclosed in the cited reference 1. In the sphygmomanometer depicted in FIG. 1, a sphygmomanometer main body 1301 and a cuff 1302 are joined by a rubber tube 1304 and a lead line 1305. A rubber bulb that supplies air 1303 is also connected to the cuff 1302.
FIG. 2 depicts a sphygmomanometer as disclosed in the cited reference 2. The sphygmomanometer comprises a flexible first air tube 1405 and a second air tube 1406 that communicate with either a sphygmomanometer main body 1401 and a cuff 1404, or the sphygmomanometer 1401 and the open atmosphere, with the tubes less likely to interfere with a display unit 1402 or a control unit 1403, owing to the relation between the first air tube 1405 and the second air tube 1406 being configured as depicted in FIG. 2, thus making the display easier to see, and the power switch and other aspects of the control unit 1403 easier to operate.
The sphygmomanometers disclosed in the cited reference 1 and 2, however, have the air supply sphere connected, via the air tube, either to the cuff or to the sphygmomanometer main body, and thus, the sphygmomanometer main body must be maintained with one hand, and the air supply sphere held, and pressure applied, with the other hand, resulting in poor usability.
Another problem is that connecting the respective units by tubes, as per the sphygmomanometers disclosed in the cited references 1 and 2, increases the overall size of the sphygmomanometer.